Entertainment Weekly exclusive photos

Entertainment Weekly, a magazine for entertainment media news and critical reviews (and part of the Time Warner corporation, same as HBO – hey, it’s Game of Thrones, it all stays in the family), has just published an exclusive preview of GOT on their website. They have ten (10!) new production photos up, with short quotes from some of the actors and comments that provide bits of background to the plot and the premise of the show. The comments are spoilery, but nothing beyond the pilot (apart from the last photo comment, *beware*!) … still, I think they reveal too much – though not everything – about the *ehm* episode one cliffhanger. [The spoilers have been removed at our request. Thanks, EW!] More material has been promised in this week’s issue of EW. The photos are all credited to Helen Sloan [Heidi was indeed a typo on EW’s side]. They are rather small in size the way they appear in the EW gallery, but I am sure high resolution ones will surface soon as well (once the exclusivity wears off). Here’s the one that I like most: Lords and Ladies, we give you Jaime Lannister in Kingsguard armour.

Credit: Helen Sloan / HBO

Here follows the list of all ten photos (mild spoilers on character locations!):

Quotes from the cast, so you can read them without exposing yourself to potential spoilers in the comments:

Mark Addy: ”It’s time-consuming, shooting riding. It’s hard to portray a fearsome warrior who was merciless in his pursuit of power. There was talk like ‘Why are they turning the king into a clown?’ because I’ve been in funny stuff before. But I think once they see it, the fans will love this.”

Lena Headey on Cersei: “She’s really complex. She’s got a spiral down into a bit of madness.”

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on Jaime: ”He has the chance to go from being Darth Vader to being something quite different.”

Sean Bean: ”The story is so different from what we’re used to seeing on television.”

Michelle Fairley (gets it): “It’s not so much fantasy. It’s really gutsy and glorious. We just happen to be wearing costumes and armor.”

Hear Me Roar: This is massive! And it will be even more so when we get higher resolution photos. So many details to discuss again … armour and costumes in more detail, the Stark shields with the direwolf, Tyrion’s expression, finally more cloaks present, our first glimpse of the Eyrie. Jon and Bran look great together, with a warm sibling bond between them – it’s in my top three of the batch alongside Jaime and Tyrion&Mord. I suspect this is the beginning of the first peak of promotional activity scheduled before the holidays. Keep it coming, HBO!

UPDATE: Ran of Westeros provides his own comments to the photos here. He has identified the commander of the group of horsemen in the second photo as Ser Vardis Egen.

I’m in Heaven. I’ve literally died and gone to nerd-heaven. This is all so wonderful I could cry. Seeing Jaime in costume, in character, great stuff. He looks perfect! Cersei looks wonderful, too, and so does Tyrion. Oh, who am I kidding, this whole thing rocks!

Never pictured Sam with a beard, though. Once the series is done I’m gonna have a problem picturing him otherwise. Sort of like how the LOTR movie cast is the only way I picture those characters now.

I like the armor. I noticed that the crown and helmet both have three ridges/points which is probably a holdover from the Targaryen era, with the whole three heads of the dragon thing. He looks so badass in that picture, I would fear him on the battlefield.

It just hit me that this precious, somewhat insular, geek community that has persisted for 15 years is now introduced to a wider audience. It’s not necessarily mainstream yet, is it? We have Game of Thrones set pics on the front page of Entertainment Weekly, next to stories about Glee & Bristol Palin. The discord is giving me culture shock.

I’m… pleasantly surprised, actually. So far, the look of the show has been my main gripe, but I’m really happy with a lot of those photos.

Cersei at the table, Tyrion in the sky cells, Jon and Bran, Ned and Pycelle all look awesome. The Cersei one is probably my favorite for now.

Dany, Robert at Winterfell and the training yard at Castle Black are okay. Cat and Tyrion at the Eyrie… I don’t know why, but Cat looks somewhat odd in this one…

I’m only slightly unhappy with Jaime. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has the right look, but his KG armor doesn’t look good to me (I’d have him in Lannister coloring and armor, anyway), plus I wouldn’t have minded if they gave him a bit of a longer hair. In this photo the AGOT Jaime looks more like the AFFC Jaime, IMO.

those pics are awesome but am i the only one that worries that those comment snippets don’t do the show a lick of justice? quite frankly aside from being highly spoilerey they make the show sound pretty lame and silly.

i know that it is just a result of hack writing by somebody who knows nothing about the books and hardly anything about the show but this is going to be a first impression for many potential viewers and i have to be honest those comments couldn’t be a worse advertisement for the show.

Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister, known as the Imp, is constantly getting into trouble because of his marauding ways.

really? THAT is how you are going to summarize one of the most interesting and complex characters in the Fantasy genre? way to completely sell Tyrion short.

anyway those pics all look great … well except Emilia who quite frankly looks … ahem, uh … husky… and not at all the lythe/waifish and angular Danerys described in the books/what i pictured in my mind. i certainly hope her acting can compensate for her less than regal bearing.

i wonder how they got that Eyrie shot to look so good with the mountains out the back?

Pretty much love the pictures. Bran looks freaking great, as does Jon.

Nicolaj is a huge yes.

Best picture HAS to be Tyrion in the sky cell. The look on his face…

But yeah, the spoilers. C’mon Entertainment Weekly. We appreciate this sneak peek, don’t get us wrong, but could you get someone who knows something about the series to write the picture captions? Never knew Tyrion had “marauding ways.”

Meg: It just hit me that this precious, somewhat insular, geek community that has persisted for 15 years is now introduced to a wider audience. It’snot necessarily mainstream yet, is it? We have Game of Thrones set pics on the front page of Entertainment Weekly, next to stories about Glee & Bristol Palin. The discord is giving me culture shock.

I had this realization a while ago, but it still feels strange. Especially seeing it on Entertainment Weekly!

I think I have a bit of a crush on Emilia Clarke. I actually like the fact that she has a little meat on her bones, and isn’t a skinny waif. I think I’ll love her portrayal of Dany much more than I would have liked Tamzin.

It should also be noted that NONE of the costumes look cheap (they all look fantastic), and the colours look vibrant and rich (unlike the washed out effect in the last teaser trailer that had everyone worried).

DIOS MIO! My God, mein Gott! This is my happiest day in the whole year!

I am so~~ overwhelmed! Being Jaime my favourite character I can only state that he fits the role much better than I expected. Damn, the whole Lannisters siblings are great (Oh Tyrion!) Now I am sure this series are going to be epic. I expect even a movie later on.

As I have noted before, any official, polished material so far looks good, if not great. The only gripes we had was mostly with tourist photos and behind the scenes stuff, so we shouldn’t need to worry too much.

Nikolaj convinced me fully, so did Addy in this photo (best look so far). Heck, the whole set of 10 is great, but of course the completely new ones take priority :)

Wow, great photos.
I take back every doubt I had about Nikolaj Coster-Waldau not looking good enough for a Jaime, that picture clearly portrays how Kingslayer should look like.
I love Tyrion in Sky Cells still, and in the others the costumes and sets look great.

But boy were they trigger happy with spoilers? They could have announced birth of dragons, war of 5 kings, red wedding and parentage of Jon Snow while they were at it…

What a night for news! All topped off by Amanda Peet (wife of David Benioff) on Jimmy Fallon excitedly talking up the series (yay!) and exemplifying the PR conundrum HBO is going through with the show (awkward!).

Great photos, but the added text was *exactly* what I was afraid of happening. Since there’s no on-set control of the story (as it’s available to anyone willing to read a summary of the books on Wikipedia) some journalists are going to be giddy with excitement that they get to have all the spoilers up front. Unless there’s some restraint there’s no way we’ll make it to the finale without all the major events already telegraphed in some ham-fisted manner by articles that think they’re being sly.

I really wish everyone was as conscious as Mo Ryan about these things.

I know. Well … we hope such articles don’t get high currency on the web. We’ll report on everything, filter the spoilers, and so hope that the fans choose to follow our site where they can feel safe, save for the comments section :) Keeping it realisitic, these things are bound to happen, yes. When the show airs, we’re planning a few things specifially for the newcomers to the world of ASoIaF.

Yes, we’ve been discussing that option. For now, implementing that seems too complicated, especially given the nature of the blog (compared to encyclopedically arranged facts and resources). But we have other solutions :)

So I’m here to comment on chubgate. Actually chubgate I and chubgate II.

Chubgate I: Emilia is not the waifish girl-child Daenerys we know from the books. That body belonged to Tamsin Merchant, who was replaced…

…by an actress we can (some of us) argue might not really fall into the “sexy” category at all. Is Emilia Clarke extremely cute? Does she embody the look of a tired, confused underage girl? Does she stab at our hearts with her big, emotive, puppydog eyes? Hell yes. And that, in the end, is what’s important. I will sacrifice a supermodel’s skinny thighs for someone who can simply play young and play it convincingly. I love Daenerys as a character, and I want to see her journey, and how she fails and how she thrives. I have the feeling that if Illyrio has been letting Dany eat her fill of sweetmeats, that cushy life will end as soon as the Dothraki take their Oregon Trail off into the wilds.

So the baby fat? Doesn’t bother me. It’s real. Now that wig on the other hand…
Chubgate II: Can I say it? Boy Samwell sure doesn’t look as fat as I thought he would. Beard or no beard, I expected that boy to be bustin’ out. He does look confused though, in a Samwell way, so that’s a plus.

Outstanding, simply outstanding! The pics looks soo great, it is hard to believe that this is a TV show, but then as I remember what HBO did with “ROME” and “Deadwood” …it just reafirms the quality I have come to expect from them!

These images recall the excitement I had when I first saw images from the LOTR trilogy!!!! I cannot wait for “Game Of Thrones” to come out! George RR Martin’s saga “A Song Of Ice And Fire” is a true masterpiece, let it be that the series will also become one!

Holy shi-hat. I love the pictures.
Bran and Jong look awesome. So does Robbert I have to say. Pretty much love ’em all but I would have to go for Tyrion as my favorite as well. Probably because of the composition. Shame about the spoilers though, especially the “relations” thingy annoyed me.

I personally think Emilia Clarke makes a wonderful Dany. I just needed some time to let the idea settle in. Also I don’t think this picture is very flattering.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!! I haven’t been this excited to see production photos since I stared following the Phantom Menace (I was young, and hey, I was a huge Star Wars fan). I just hope this project turns out far, far better. I have no reason to think this will not be the most awesome thing on TV. The production team continues to impress.

I love almost all of the pictures, especially the Tyrion ones. The one of Jaimie in his Kingsguard armor also looks pretty good, the white scrollwork looks nice, though the infamous helmet is under his arm in this photo and hard to see.

The one I’m least happy about is Dany. I love Emilia Clarke as Daenerys. I think she has the perfect look for the role (oh, and her figure is lovely too, btw). I’m not convinced however about HBO’s Dothraki costuming. This outfit does not look like something practical you would wear while riding a horse. Nor is the material flattering, what is with the unfinished edges and burlap textures? Just because the Dothraki are supposedly barbarians, they can’t sew a finished edge? She’s the freaking khaleesi, if anyone gets the nice clothing, it would be her.

How Long is EW out for in paper form (do I need to get the girlfriend to pick me a copy up before next Mon/Tues?)

Don’t even know where to begin. Spoilers and Captions are universally Terrible. Everything else looks amazing..Just hope that Door behind Tyrion and Catelyn isn’t meant to be the Moon Door as I never expected that to have a comfortable balcony

Emilia Clarke is my new celebrity crush. Hope I can still hate Cersei when she looks that goddamn good too! (i’m sure I’ll manage it!)

All the pictures look great- particularly Jaime. Perfect casting I think (but then that applies to the whole cast) and while the armour is different from the books I think it looks good.

Love the direwolves on the Stark sheilds.

The picture in the Eyrie hall shows the location well- and it’s brilliant, not complaining, but it looks rather staged to me. Everyone is carefully spaced out around the room. Presumably we are looking at this from Lysa’s (or Sweetrobin’s) perspective or something close to it, so perhaps she told them all where to stand? She does like to be dramatic. It’s a beautiful picture though.

Jon looks nothing like I imagined with his curly hair and moustache- not that I mind, it will just take some getting used to. Bran looks great though.

That picture of Tyrion in the cell is great. Feels like the camera is about to pull back and show the drop.

As for Dany, I don’t know why anyone is complaining. Seems like some people think if a girl doesn’t look like she’s about to die of starvation she’s fat. Emilia is slim without being skinny, which to my mind looks far better.

I completey agree! Everythng looks way awesome! Way over my imagination . and has sparked a LOT more butterflies in my stomach and anticipation for this show. But oh my dear god. Dany’s clothes!? Seriously???
They could as well not have bothered with anything of the other meticulously thought out details and what-not – if they were goignt o sell out one essential part of the story as Xena – and the w…, LEgend of the seeker… and what else there is of highly cliché fantasy skimpy wardrobes for girls, including skintight red leather liek that blond chic in LOTS….. OR tarzan movies or what ever along those lines..

I am really disappointed at that.
And couldn’t agree more about hemlines and being khaleesi!

I am dreading the scenes from across the sea now. If this is what I am going to be accosted by, I will probably get a sick feeling in my stomach every time, and go to the toilet. For real.
They are selling out. Big.

And I was really surpried about chubgate I! Is THAT what people have had a problem with?? Honestly?!
My god, she is nothing like chubby! People who think so should get a reality check.

But – yes. Other than that! And that I thought the Vale set looked a lot more like a set than an actual place – but hope it will look more real on screen instead..
They are all amazing! Love the crisp look of Cerseis dress under the “blanket”(?). It’s not silk in english, but that think the worms do in china – can’t think of the word now.
Looks highly excluive and pretty.
And the table and every details around it looks amazingly real. (agree about BG!)

Love the Jon-Bran pic. All my pressed down anxieties about the children actors are taken away by the look in Brans eyes. It’s intelligent and serious. He is really there, in Westeros, shooting arrows at practice with his brother. Jon surprising good look and feel as well. (belong to those who never pictured him looking like that)

And finally. Mark Addy. Don’t know where the “clown from full monty” idea ever came from. Just rewatch the scene with the plastic tape around his waist one more time, or when he and his wife makes up, and then say he plays a clown. He is a serious actor, and I am looking forward to seeing him in this role!

I’m not sure where the Dany issue comes from. i’m re-reading Got at the moment and she is in a sleevless leather Jerkin and riding leggings. putting a skirt over that may not be ideal but i think she has the look that I expect from Dothraki women in General with a higher quality of clothing as she is the Khaleesi

Also remember that is probably the scene just after she has arrived at the Vale (I know her and Tyrion arrive seperately but may condense that for the cost and timing. either way she would be haggard from the hard ride to the vale.

People seem to overreact on commenters calling Clarke chubby, I have read only one comment stating that so let’s not make a big deal out of that. We can all see she is not chubby. Also Sam not being that fat, I always imagined him like this. He travelled from Hornhill to the Wall, you can’t be massively obese to make that trip. I thought it was kind of ridiculous he kept that fat on the Wall because he can’t be eating that much over there.

Man, those pictures are awesome! I still can’t believe it, every single one of them is perfect. My favourites are Jon&Bran and Tyrion&Mord. Let’s hope EW has some better comments in their magazine tomorrow…

Caetlyn is not overweight, she’s just wearing a giant fur coat, genius! The foxheads suggest it may be Ned’s cloak from the first still, but y’know, Winterfell’s prolly got plenty of foxhead cloaks lying round.

Also just noticed that the photo of Ned in the Council chamber shows that they all have chairs similar to the Hand’s chair we saw earlier. I wonder if they all have sigils on them to represent who’s sitting where etc.

A lot of things to be excited about here, but dear lord, won’t somebody in makeup think of the eyebrows? This isn’t something that usually bothers me, but it’s a pretty jarring contrast for many of these characters. Lena Headey (as Cersei) and Emilia Clarke (as Dany) especially, but even Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (as Jaime) is a little distracting. Good call, Ser Hedgeknight. But, aside from that one small thing (and the spoilers…), there is, as I said, plenty to be excited about here. Can’t wait.

zaulsiin: A lot of things to be excited about here, but dear lord, won’t somebody in makeup think of the eyebrows? This isn’t something that usually bothers me, but it’s a pretty jarring contrast for many of these characters. Lena Headey (as Cersei) and Emilia Clarke (as Dany) especially. QuoteReply

I didn’t notice at first, but looking at it again – darn… That does not look good. Weird…. Weird that they didn’t do anything whatsoever.

The new pics are incredible. Everyone looks great, the costumes and sets are beautiful. I’m very happy with Jaime and his armor. Quibbling over his hair length? Pfffft.

Re: Emilia’s body. Some people are on crack. She is a very thin young woman. She just isn’t anorexic like so many actresses, and I thank God for that. A woman as thin as Tamzin Merchant was would probably have trouble getting pregnant so quickly. (Yes, weight does affect your fertility.) Emilia looks beautiful and I couldn’t ask for a more appropriate casting- regal and a potential for power in her.

Wonderfully wonderful for the most part and a fine start to my day. I have to admit–the depiction of Dany looks rather like the love child of Xena and Legolas, but hey–I’m holding out for the final production. Still photos are easy to nitpick & obsess over. As for Ms. Clarke’s physique, fat SCHMAT! Remember, she is soft and city-bred when she starts her journey and grows tougher over time.
If I had to pick a favorite shot, it would be Tyrion “on the edge” with Mord in the background. Dynamic.

Wonderfulness! So much that I’ve coined a new word for it. Thanks for posting the pics.

Jaime with shorter hair resembles his brother Tyrion more, I think. Although from the Tyrion pic I can’t tell whether they gave him blue eyes. Anyway, hear me ROWR.

Catelyn = MILF??? I’m female and het, but I suddenly realize that’s the idea I had of her all along. Love the thought that she’s wearing Ned’s coat.

I’ve seen other pics of Jon, but this one – though awesome – gives me a Will Turner vibe. Maybe I’m just used to imagine him as more childlike. OMG! MOUSTACHE-GATE!!!1!

Everybody else looks incredible. Just jealous that it could have been the Blackfish instead of what’s-his-name in the Eyrie scene. *wink*

Seriously, I understand the issue of visualizing characters in a different way after seeing actors play them. I guess everybody reacts in a different manner. I had the same problem with Harry Potter: but in my mind Sirius and Lupin, to name just two, will always have the face I gave them in my mind AND ALSO Gary Oldman and David Thewlis’ face. For some reason, in my mind I’m able to skip from one to the other with no trouble.

As for ASOIAF, I read the books last Autumn because I’d been intrigued by the news of Sean Bean and Iain Glen being in it. So I started with a pre-conceived idea of the characters; and yet, I did form my own idea of them. Jorah Mormont in my mind is a burly, balding Bear Islander AND a slender, blond Scotsman. In the few pics I’ve seen, I think Glen manages to convey the spirit of the character, and his appearance is as close as possible to the description.

Anyone who believes that Emilia Clarke is not the Mother of Dragons must walk behind my khalasar from Burbank to Northridge. If you perform this arduous task . . . we probably will disregard your opinion as idiotic anyway. But, hey, its worth a shot, right?

Yes that might be true. But there is quite a step from sleeveless leather jerkin a la midddle age or whatever – to a rough fabric tied much like a modern day partytop..
that’s my main concern. I imagined her wearing a bit more masculine leather riding clothes. More “decent” if you will, as her heritage comes from westeros (i draw associations to western ladies going abroad to say india, in 19th century, but still maintining much of their own cultural style).

and simply that her top to me seems more made to appeal to mens libido, than be accurate to the story/character.
Hence the selling out.
I mean, they could have done her top in so many more accurate yet sexy ways – that just slip her in to a skimpy “fur-bikini”-style top.
I always read he outfit to be more of a girl who always wore dresses – but then with her newfound freedom from Viserys and the old culture, instead went for a leather jerkin, vest over a breezy cotton tunic and breezy harem pants(even though it says leggings.. I mean more stylewise, than exact word by word)

Re: eyebrows… The really weird thing though – is this:
They have actually painted them darker than they really are! At least that’s my guess.. Because painting eyebrows is a way makeup artists draw your attention to the eyes. I have a slightly tinted eyebrow brush that works much like a mascara – but my eyebrows are not nearly as dark. They seem black in the pictures, I reacted particularly at Cerseis.

I don’t think they are unpainted, almost no ones are in tv/movies/fashion pics/whatever…

It looks to me like Jaime’s hair is pulled back, for those concerned about the length of his hair. I’m not, so I think he’s looking AWESOME. I cannot wait to hear him open his mouth and say something nasty.

Cersei Looks FANTASTIC. And, with no offense meant, but I’m pretty sure that’s not Peter Dinklege. HBO used some voodoo magic and pulled Tyrion out of the pages of the book. Or they at least took the images from the Sky Cells right out of my brain.

Team Jon! (Actually more like Team Dany! And, where the heck is this ‘chubby’ thing coming from? How about not at all?)

Bran and Arya are -making- this production for me.

I think one of my favorite details, actually, was Eddard’s outfit in King’s Landing. There’s no flash to it, it looks rustic, simple, VERY Eddard Stark. I am stoked. I even like the new Kingsguard armor. Sure, it’s not white, but it will look FANTASTIC on screen. I am so happy. And EW is my go to site for brain candy, so this feels HUGE to me.

Since when did….*Kate Winslet* isn’t what would be considered “fat” and Clarke is thinner than Winslet.

Tamzin looks borderline emaciated barbie-doll. Yes, her features were somewhat more anguler, but Emilia has that edge too (check out her clips on youtube) mixed with a better ability to emote. I believed in Emilia’s character more based on a handful of clips from youtube than what I’ve seen of Tamzin in Tudors.

Re: Dany : first thing that went trough my mind (OK, maybe the second thing…) was “How is she supposed to ride a horse with this on ?” I mean, even if she managed to get on the horse with her skirt on (no mean feat), her top would fall in seconds.
It could very well be something she’s wearing at camp, though, possibly from later in the book.

Re: Kingsguard Armour. have we seen anyones armour besides Jamies? I seem to remember something about the white not being workable onscreen but Jaime always had Gold plated Armour, it helps set him apart from the rest (at the start for one reason and later for another!)

I would like them to keep his armour different even if the White armour isnt workable

I just wanted to delurk and say that I have a man-crush on Kit Harrington. He is the new Johnny Depp! While I’m at it I might as well just add my voice to the collective squeee. This series is gonna be wonderfully wonderful indeed! Simply can’t wait.

Just watched the Amanda Peet clip, she is absolutely charming. She pitched the show horribly but at least she knew she was pitching it horribly: “My husband is going to kill me!” Great to see some people actually talking about it.

It is possible that Jacopo and Sjwenings have different opinion on chubbyness, but for me a chubby girl has a belly and not that killerflat stomach we see in Dany’s picture.

regarding the length of Jaime Lannister’s hair, I think he just has “hat-hair” in that shot because he just took his helmet off, and it is actually still long; if you look closely in the back, it does indeed hang to his shoulders.

Gotta say Addy has me sold. I (like a lot of the community) had some doubts about him pulling off King Robert, but the picture shown here looks amazing. You can see the warrior underneath the chub.

Tyrion looks amazing, I can not wait to see him in action. His character probably has me the most excited about this and it looks like I’m not going to be disappointed. Though I am disappointed in “marauding ways” I’m surprised they couldn’t do better.

Those spoilers in the photo comments are very disconcerting, even though most of them are revealed in the first episode. C’mon EW. I’m afraid of these have probably already gone to print in the magazine.

Night’s Watch crew: Looking great. Love JB-W as Sam. I think he’s the perfect size. And Pyp and Jon look great as well.

Vale Men-At-Arms: Looks good to me! The mountainous terrain of the Vale is evident here.

King Robert: Really good. I’m 100% sold on Addy now. And the direwolf shields look sweet! Hope we get a hi-res version of this one soon as the pommel of Robert’s sword looks very interesting.

Cersei: Not the Cersei I had imagined. I also pictured a more fuller haired, sharper-featured Cersei. But Headey is beautiful and she is a fantastic actress, so I’m sure she will be great.

Jaime: Amazing. Simple amazing. It’s like Jaime just stepped out of my imagination and onto my computer screen. He looks a lot like Komarck’s version of Jaime, which has always been my favorite.

Ned and Pycelle: Looking good. I like the Red Keep, although it looks a little “movie set” here. I suspect that will change once we see it on the TV screen.

Jon and Bran: Love it! Bran looks great. Jon’s look, not what I imagined, but I’ve gotten used to it since it was first debuted back in the behind-the-scenes vid. Have to say it’s started to grow on me. Also, this scene must be new as I don’t remember it from the books?

Dany: She looks amazing! Chubby? No way. And I don’t mind the costume. Although those hand wraps make her look like she’s about to get into a brawl. Ha!

Tyrion and Mord: What a fantastic shot. Great job by Helen Sloan on this one. Tyrion looks great. The hi-res version shows his lion’s head ring, which is awesome. Mord looks good as well.

The Eyrie: The set looks great. Tyrion and Catelyn look great. Vardis Egan looks really cool. That plate armor will definitely work for his scene with Bronn. The mountains in the background? A blue screen that they composited into this photo? Or a painted backdrop? Either way, they look great.

Now it’s clear that Tyrion has a lion ring on his fingers. Also, he has blue eyes, or so it seems by the pic. Yay!

Re: Eyebrow-gate. I saw nothing wrong in Cersei or Jaime, maybe because I myself have dark eyebrows and lighter hair (greying – untimely!). As for Jaime, in particular, I think NCW himself is a natural blond with dark eyebrows.

Also, maybe Cersei’s eyebrows are due to make-up. In the Middle Ages women often had heavy make-up, inspired by the Eastern Roman Empire. Vast oversimplification. Historians out there, feel free to spank me.

As for Mark Addy, totally agree with LivveHult. I loved him in “Full Monty” and thought the movie – and his role – was as much tragic as it was comic. He showed a lot of dramatic potential and I’m delighted to see him express it in AGOT.

Yeah, That article was a good read with some entertaining tidbits about scenes that we hadn’t touched on before. Really really looking forward to this. I think all of the pictures look great and I’m honestly just stunned that it’s almost here. The past couple of years have flown by and here I thought I’d need cryosleep to survive the anticipation.

Blackfish Blues: I had the same problem with Harry Potter: but in my mind Sirius and Lupin, to name just two, will always have the face I gave them in my mind AND ALSO Gary Oldman and David Thewlis’ face. For some reason, in my mind I’m able to skip from one to the other with no trouble.

Blackfish Blues, we need to talk! I was thinking the exact same thing about Lupin/Black… msg me!

From the food and the Making of video for food that looks like a Winterfell (or Possibly Castle Darry?) set. Mushrooms, Meat, Iron Cutlery, stoneware plates and cups. Plus with Cersei Wrapped up against the cool/cold

Love love love these pictures!!! Oooo Ser Jaime! And our Lion of Lannister, Tyrion in the sky cell, great.
Dany looks great too, Not Fat at all. The swatch of burlap though is a little disconcerting. Did not the Dothraki women go topless and wear only a small vest to barely cover their breasts? they are supposed to look barbaric not neanderthal.
Over all these pics look good. Now I have to go look at the Jaime picture again.

As others have said, I think a lot of the sets and costumes are wonderful. Pretty gritty, with amazing detail on the fabrics, etc. I’ll be curious to see how it all pans out though, once we get the dialogue and acting in it though.

For example, I’ve been watching The Walking Dead on AMC, another adaptation where I adore the original material, and I have to say, despite the positive reviews, I’ve often been a bit put off by some of the dialogue and acting, which often falls flat. Yes, the sets have been great, the zombies very well done, nothing cheesy, etc. All the gore is there that would normally be in a Hollywood zombie films, etc., they’re not holding back at all even though they’re a TV production, but, well, it just hasn’t regularly enchanted me as TV drama yet. It often feels like it’s trying too hard and the good acting comes and goes in fits and spurts.

Not to be a total downer, but it’s actually made me much more cautious about this show. Sets and costumes only mean so much, ya know? I’m really glad they’re good so far, pretty awesome in truth. But the proof is in the pudding. We’ll see what we’ll see when the show airs and we see some real acting and dialogue and fight choreography, etc. For now, I’m just going to savor the pleasure of the books as I re-read them.

though I have to say Jaime looks quite different than the jaime in my mind (somhow not blond and cersei-like enough)

Regarding Dany: I think she looks perfect.
I think Dany is somehow a symbol of “fertility” in the books. She’s the mother of dragons after all. This can only be depicted by an actress who looks like a woman and not like an androgynous boy/girl freak.

Seriously, people who think she’s “chubby” are the reason why so many normal beautiful women believe they are ugly nowadays

There should have been some sort of warning in between my entering the address for this site and the site actually loading. I hit Enter, that pic of the Kingslayer appeared, and my brain exploded from sheer awesomeness.

Only just now starting to get it back together, after a few minutes of lying sprawled in my computer chair with unfocused eyes, muttering things like “Jaime”, “Lion of Lannister”, and “there are no men like me”.

The other pics were great too. Addy looks badASS as King Robert, and loving those Stark shields. Headey looks hot, no complaints there. The Tyrion image looks awesome, as does the Jon/Bran pic (though, just saying…I’m not really a fan of the Snow-stache. Minor quibble, though…)

Clarke looks fine. She’s not chubby. Her arms look a little more muscular than I think we’re used to seeing from gangly models, but it’s not fat or unattractive.

What a thrilling post to wake up to! Until this morning, the most exciting thing that had happened to me all week was that I found some loaves of bread on sale for 99 cents….

Favourites: I think I’m most impressed with Mark Addy, Dinklage and the various members of the Night’s Watch. Even from the stills you really get a feel for who the characters are and their personalities. I’m also very impressed with the costumes for those scenes.

Dany: I think Dany herself looks in character, etc, but the photo makes me think that perhaps this is a rough shot? It looks as though it’s from the same scene that we saw in the longer “making-of” video. I’m still hoping they haven’t turned the Dothraki sea into some kind of jungle. :/ I think the costume looks all right, but not great. There’s something ill-fitting about it somehow, but I’m not sure any of the comments that I’ve read so far have hit on exactly what that is (I can’t either). I think both Emilia Clarke and the directors/artists who worked on/with the character have done a great job making her look younger and more vulnerable.

Kingsguard Armour: I never really minded the change to begin with, but now I am flat-out impressed. Jaime looks great.

Fairley: Not a very flattering photo, but I get the impression that it was meant to capture a larger scene rather than the details of all of the characters. I kind of like how restless and awkward the guards look in the background. At first I thought that Catelyn was Lyssa and was excited that they had kept her chubby like in the books, but it must be Fairley and it’s just looking mashed together from the distance (hopefully we’ll get a hi-res of that one soon!).

Cersei: Headey has never really looked to me how I picture Cersei, but I don’t think that’s too important, as I’m sure she’ll do a fantastic job with the character. I’m not entirely sold on her costume. You can’t see much of it, but the dress underneath looks strangely modern to me (the high collar, if that’s what it is). Since you can see barely any of it, however, I shall reserve judgement. ;p It’s a great photo and I love the intensity in her gaze.

Littlefinger: NOT THERE, but I can’t wait to see an actual picture of him in full costume and very, very hopefully with his trademark goatee. I shall be very saddened if he is lacking one. ):

Oh yes, awesome stuff. RE: Emilia, I’m a dude and she’s not chubby. I guess _maybe_ if you were expecting her to be a total waif and then saw this pic, you might be inclined to think that way, but “chubby” is still an exaggeration.

Maybe part of the problem is with this picture she’s just standing by herself and there’s no other objects or people to compare her to, for context. Anyways, she looks great but I also agree that the clothes are not what I expected.

And yes, Amanda Peet is totally charming. I always thought she was awesome (smart and beautiful to boot) and this just re-affirmed my beliefs.

Ed: Sorry, but you’re WAY off base here. People are entitled to their opinions. If somebody else wants to let people’s opinions affect their own self-esteem, that’s their problem. QuoteReply

Uhh yeah, that’s not off base. Of course everyone’s entitled to opinions, I don’t think anyone said otherwise. But if you think people aren’t affected by society’s opinion of them, you need a reality check.

clumsy_plumsy:
Uhh yeah, that’s not off base. Of course everyone’s entitled to opinions, I don’t think anyone said otherwise. But if you think people aren’t affected by society’s opinion of them, you need a reality check.

No check needed, I agree with you – people ARE affected by other’s opinions. But THAT’S the problem, NOT the opinion itself. People need to stop being so sensitive and letting their own self esteem be affected by other’s opinions.

Sorry for the thread hijack. MY opinion is that I am in Heaven with the new Photos and can’t wait to see more of them! (chubby or not!)

I really want someone to do up a “Team Eddard” shirt. I am more of a Team Arya or Team Snow myself, but the closeness of Eddard and Edward just really works. Please? Someone with shirt design skillz? Maybe a direwolf in the background? COME-ON!!!!!

Ed: No check needed, I agree with you – people ARE affected by other’s opinions. But THAT’S the problem, NOT the opinion itself. People need to stop being so sensitive and letting their own self esteem be affected by other’s opinions.Sorry for the thread hijack. MY opinion is that I am in Heaven with the new Photos and can’t wait to see more of them! (chubby or not!) QuoteReply

I do realize the off-topicness of this, so the last thing I’ll say (to make my point clearer) is that while I agree it would be nice if people didn’t live by other people’s opinions, I don’t think that day will ever come. It’s human nature! Imagine if women started saying “men who wear jeans aren’t attractive.” Not every single woman on Earth, but a significant number. Enough so that you notice.

Do you think, given enough time, it might affect you? Maybe just enough so that one day you might pause for a millisecond before putting those jeans on? Before you answer that, I realize maybe you are particularly thick-skinned and would _never_ let other people’s opinions affect your self-image, no matter how many people say it. But do you think every other man would be as mentally strong as you? I’d argue not, but I could be wrong.

(Anyways, back on topic) Yes, I think one thing we can all agree on is the sheer awesomeness unleashed by HBO this day.

WOW, had to give my opinions on each shot. This is the kind of update I’ve been waiting for!

Picture 1(castle black): Awesome. Look how dirty and muddy everything is. Sam looks better in person than I imagined him! I actually feel sorry for him seeing him in person. Is it just me or do you think Sam just said something very craven? (Jon and Pyp stare at him and are like, “bro, are you serious?”)

Picture 2 (horsemen): Good shot.

Picture 3 (Robert): Pleasantly surprised. He walks with such authority. It screams, I used to be a badass (and still kind of think I am)

Picture 4 (Cersei): Doesnt look evil/manipulative at all. I guess thats the thing with her character. Its in her actions

Picture 5 (Jaime): What a badass. Just like I imagined. The armor is awesome, and I love the dragon scale look. I did imagine the armor a bit heavier though, especially around the arms.

Picture 6 (Ned): Such a contrast of scenery compared to Winterfell. The stone looks red, just like the red keep should be

Picture 7 (Jon & Bran): Great pic. Bran looks like a little warrior! He’s trying so hard to be the warrior he dreams of!

Picture 8 (Deny): HOT

Picture 9 (Sky Cell): Oh man, the scene starts with a great close up of Tyrion’s expression, but wait until it zooms out and you can see why he has that look on his face!

Picture 10 (Eyrie): So thats Vardis Egen? I imagined him in heavier plate armor. That’s how Bronn is able to move around more quickly. Looks like he could still move fairly easier in that armor, so Bronn must be fast.

Tal: Clarke looks fine. She’s not chubby. Her arms look a little more muscular than I think we’re used to seeing from gangly models, but it’s not fat or unattractive.

Yes, my thoughts exactly. There’s nothing remotely chubby about Clarke in this photo – her waistline is as thin as possible without looking malnourished. However, her arms do look thick in comparison with her torso, which I think is what’s causing a lot of the comments. She has a woman’s arms, not the arms of a 15-year-old. Those hand wraps don’t help either as it makes her look like she’s going to step in the boxing ring. But yeah, she looks great (despite the odd looking burlap-sack-turned-into-a-shirt top) and will be great in the role of Daenerys.

Talk about getting caught off guard today, what a pleasant surprise to finally see a pic of our beloved or hated Jaime (depending on which fan) and then all the great pics that followed. He looks perfect in that armor, and it looks to me that his hair might just be tied in back so it could be longer than shown.
Dinklage as Tyrion in the Skycell is my fav followed by the first look of NCW as Jaime. Cersei pic comes 3rd I really like the embroidery on her throw or shaw.
The Eyrie is next, and I like the change from a long rectangular to circular hall, hopefully there are windows along the walls so you have a 360 degree view of the Vale from the throne. Ser Vargis is wearing armor similar to one that I saw in a painting of Hernan Cortez. I cannot fathom how anyone seeing that pic of Dany would think she is chubby, she what looks to weigh all of 105 pounds in that pic 110 tops, though I was hoping for a glamor shot of her wearing the dress from Illyrio’s party. What can I say about Addy as Robert, perfect shot of him and those Stark shields though aren’t Winterfell soldiers suppose to be all in grey and white. Going to buy a copy tomorrow so I can see the other pics, but the one thing I dislike is nothing on the cover about GoT inside, they should have at least a brief notation like, Exclusive! inside first look of HBO’s GoT in a corner of the cover.

I’m really very pleased with Emilia Clarke.It would have been pretty icky to have a really young looking girl going through all that Dany goes through , by today’s viewers’ non-medieval standards. she’s very lovely , and certainly not chubby. I’m not fond of the burlap effect..but it’s really a pretty small quibble.

People I’ve introduced to the upcoming series..who have not read the books have been drawn to her, and haven’t thought the wig looked odd. Their comments ranged from..” She looks like an interesting character” , to..” Wow. Who’s the chick with the white hair ?”..depending on their ages and gender..:)

I was never thrilled with the Tamzin Merchant casting , myself , thinking she looked too modern and too thin.

Oh man, these pics are great. I’m really psyched for this show. There’s just one thing that bugs me, which has annoyed me since they first showed her – what’s with that wig they have Emilia Clarke wearing? In the books her hair was always described as silver, but that wig’s just white. And it’s pretty scraggly, Daenerys is supposed to be beautiful so she should have nice hair. Aside from that I thought everything looked great.

Jaime looks great. HBO could have added up white fabric in their clothing under the armor if they chose to remove the enameled armor. But seeing this shot still looks good. Sean Beans costume for Ned looks great. Surprised there isn’t some white embroidery.

Now Dany…She isn’t chubby. I think the issue, isn’t that she looks chubby. She looks a healthy weight instead of skinny. Yes, it diverges from the books a little. But the issue IS the costuming cut gives the illusion she’s chubby. The costume DOES NOT work with her figure AT ALL. Nor does it fit the description of a Dany wearing a leather jerkin and leather riding leggins. This cosplayer got it right:http://www.asshai.com/colaboraciones/creaciones/cosplay/ladysnow/c_ladysnow.php

That burlap bikini top is cut (with lines in a v shape) in such a way that makes Emilia torso look bigger, not to mention her shoulders. This was a mistake on Claptons part. If Clapton stuck a well fitted rugged looking female cut vest it would have looked great on her and enhanced Emilia’s beautiful figure and the lines of her torso and midrif.

The rugged leather skirt I’m not sold on and makes her hips to shoulders look flat and straight. I would figure the Khaleesi would be wearing something better than rags that basic Dothraki women wear.

I think I’ve joined team Jaime from team Snow!
Lots of very interesting comments reflecting my first impressions of the characters, locations and costumes.
Worried that Cersei’s wrap/throw looks machine stitched rather than hand embroidered. Her hair and the throw disguise her dress, so I cannot say whether it looks too modern.

The Jaime photo makes me eager to see Nicolaj initiated into the Brotherhood of the Sock along with Jason. Total win.
I’ve always had faith in Addy; I echo the comment above about his character in the Full Monty being well nuanced.
I always wanted Tywin played by the incomparable Tom Wilkinson and I’m still hoping we’ll see him somewhere sometime.
Jon and Bran: another home run.
I don’t worry about how the ladies look: the chemistry between the couples will be the acid test. If Jaime and Cersei, Catelyn and Ned, and Dany and Drago bring it on, we’ll forget who looks chubby, whose eyebrows are too dark, etc. :) It will all be good.

After a whole day beeing crazy and exciting in teenage girl manner, I am finally capable to write down some more rational things ;)

I am totally blown away and very pleased by the way Mark Addy looks like King Bob.
It is not only due to the make up (wig and beard), but the coustume, his look and stature suggests King and once great warrior.
I even notice an interesting dagger (hmmm..) at the left side of his belt.

Another great capture is the Eyrie hall.
I must admit that I had a little fear about the final result of the Eyre on screen, cause I think it is the most complex location from the first season to translate to the screen.
I am very pleased with the first glimpse of it.

Tyrion s look and Mord behind him are quite legendary at this early stage, not the mention the detail with ring on Tyrion s finger.

Dany and Cersei are both beatiful, but I must admit that I imagined Cersei s dress and costumes over all a bit different, but I am gonna use to it.
Dany s Dothraki costume is spot on.

Another great thing, which completely evoked my feelings during the readings the books his John Bradley s facial expression. It is 100 % Sam Tarly s insecure and fearful look.

Jon and Bran are both so sweet in that image, and I am looking forward to see more of the pics especeally with child actors – notably the both girls.

I am not going to mention the Kingslayer here, cause I said everything in my first uncontrolled and Kingslayer crush post :D

I actually squealed when I saw Cersei. This definitely made my day/month/life. lol.

A few quick thoughts:
– Cersei does not look how I imagined her, but I have faith in Lena Headey and so am willing to forgive it. That being said, she looks great.
– Emilia Clarke looks lovely. Perhaps not the best photo we’ve seen of Dany so far, but she’s still beautiful. I for one am very glad we have this girl instead of Tamzin Merchant, she looked almost unhealthily thin to me.
– While I understood the reason for the change, I was always slightly bummed at the lack of white Kingsguard armour. I’m happy now :) The armour looks great, Jaime looks great, yum… *cough*
– Love Bran. He’s perfect.

A big thanks to HBO for giving us all this new material. No new doubts raised, only old ones trampled :)

Those photos have allayed most of my fears. They all look great, the only thing I’d really complain about is Dany’s costume looking a bit shit. Emilia herself weren’t a choice I was initially all that happy with, but she’s growing on me.

Highlight for me is king Robert; the look is perfect. Mark Addy is going to smash this one for a 6, I reckon.

Jaime’s looking good too, though I still don’t like the silly hat (and I despise the “three heads of the dragon” speculation that flies around here about the korky looking crests). The rest of the armour looks good though.

Not much to say about Tyrion that hasn’t already been said.

As for the scans from EW, it’s a sad day when even scans from a third party won’t be tolerated for us as live outside the US :(

I’m not really sold on Daenerys’s costume; the motif of a “painted vest and riding leathers” is prominent enough throughout her chapters in Book 1 that I don’t particularly care for this departure. That said, I presume that she has different outfits for wearing about camp, and that this was something she found, or had made for her, that she hoped would please her Sun and Stars. If this is being passed off as some form of functional Dothraki female garb, I fear we’re venturing too far for my comfort into Chainmail Bikini territory.

I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, though, because she’s new to the culture, and trying to fit in, and maybe this was the best approximation she could come up with on the first try. I do hope this isn’t the costume designer’s final look for her Khaleesi garb. Particularly with those hand wraps – seriously, what’s up with that?

Other random notes:

Is the picture at the Eyrie our first look at some completed visual effects for the show? I have to imagine the mountain vista in the window was some form of green-screen.

Love, love, LOVE the pic of the sky cell with Tyrion and Mord. Dinklage’s facial expression looks lifted right from my imagination: “How the HELL did I wind up in this spot, left to live or die at the whim of this moron?” The lion’s head ring is a bonus too (am I crazy, or could the pommel to Jaime’s sword be a lion head as well?)

I was initially cool to the picture of Cersei, but I’m warming to it in context; she’s miserable, she’s cold, wrapped in a shawl (green with flowers; a gift from the Tyrells?), hating the food, and doing her best to maintain a pleasant disposition. Headey looks fantastic regardless.

I understand the decision to abandon the all-white armor, and I like that they’re paying homage to it with the orante white scrollwork on Jaime’s breastplate.

Isaac Hempstead-Wright looks cuter and cuter with every picture released. It’s a good thing nothing bad happens to his character – that’d be tough to watch.

This is better than Christmas!!! Winter (April) cannot get here quick enough. Jaime has always been my favorite character and I think NCW looks very perfect and very yummy. Can we just make the whole show about him please? I’m already forgetting the name of my blond crush on True Blood….Alexander who?

I am still just in awe that this is truly getting done, and getting done right. Lost in all the new pics and talk (at least to me) is: Can you believe we’ve got Sean Bean as Ned Stark??!!!! I *really* look forward to watching him work, this is going to be amazing.

I can’t wait to see him tell Bran: “That’s the only time a man CAN be brave…”

Since we first glimpsed Jaime on horseback in one of those early promos, I thought that his Kingsguard armor looked great. It seemed to me that the GOT designers were keeping the spirit of the “white” armor while also making it more realistic.

IMO this new EW photo definitely is in line with that, and looks even much better than that earlier glimpse. The whitish-silver breastplate chased with white (enameled?) scrollwork & crown gives a very more regal and “elite” look. Add the white capes, and Jaime, Ser Barristan & Ser Arthur Dayne will totally look like the stupendous badasses they are.

I prefer this HBO version of the Kingsguard armor to the way George describes it in the books.

Similarly, I think King Bob looks great, and always did.. I was never worried about his casting. Sure A 80’s era Brian Blessed would have rocked, but whatcha gonna do.. time waits for no man.

Dany also looks excellent. My guess is that garb is from earlier in her character arc.

I love love love Tom Wilkinson. Couldn’t quite see him as Tywin for some reason, he’s just a little too cuddly I think. But there’s got to be a character in the later books that fits his description, and if not, they ought to write one in…

O.M.G. What a treat! Jaime looks awesome. I was having trouble imagining him with blonde hair. Very impressed. I imagine rather than Team Jon vs. Team Robb there will be also be Team Jaime and Team Ned. I agree with the comment about Alexander Skars…who (J/K, I love Eric)? NCW and the others are going to cement a steady female viewership!

I am so happy to see high(er) quality images, especially of Jon and Jaime. I kept getting a weird Orlando Bloom vibe from the earlier pictures of Jon. His scruffy look is starting to grow on me.

Oh my, Cersei looks so pretty in costume. And Tyrion!

The only one I worry about is Dany. She’s looking a little Xena Warrior Princess.

I have been reading this blog for last 18 months. Good job people!
And now about the pictures…I just absolutely love them…Even Cersei (I must admit that LH is my least favourite casting choice…She just doesn’t look the part).Anyway… It looks amasing and I cannot wait! And I want to watch it NOW!!!

With love K
PS: Can I join Team Jaime? Or no…Team Jon( with moustache or without Kit looks amazing anyway)

[…] Finally, Entertainment Weekly has a photo gallery and set report from Game of Thrones. (Via Winter Is Coming and Westeros.) Looks pretty good! I mean, so what — the Dark Is Rising adaptation looked good […]

Crotalidian (Paul): TheReader,
From the food and the Making of video for food that looks like a Winterfell (or Possibly Castle Darry?) set. Mushrooms, Meat, Iron Cutlery, stoneware plates and cups. Plus with Cersei Wrapped up against the cool/cold

I’m enjoying a moment of VINDICATION, as I always had faith in Mark Addy. I could totally picture him playing Robert, and I’m glad to see that people are warming up to him.

I’m also somewhat disgusted by the “chubby” comments. IMO, this is just a sign of the sad times we live in. Emilia Clarke looks beautiful, womanly, and vulnerable. I’m already falling in love with her Dany, and couldn’t be happier.

If I HAD to nitpick, I’d say Cersei’s eyebrows are a bit too dark and Jaime’s hair is a bit too short… but no big deal.

Chubgate I – revisited: I don’t think the (few) people who commented on Emilia’s physique did so in an inordinately negative manner. She looks fine. More than fine. Jesus, who wouldn’t hit that?

(…twenty or so years ago…)

But I think the gist of the point was that you go away from the books, ever so slightly, when you change physiques. Viserys has a great line where he essentially sneers at his sister for being flat-chested. And there’s no one out there that’s going to look at Clarke’s body and go, “Wow, you need boobs.” (It’s possible they’re actually trying to hide her cleavage with that bulky vest.) Whereas Tamzin Merchant? Flat as a board.

If they keep Viserys’s line in, they’ll need to either have her hunched over or throw in a quick body double. (Or five body doubles—seeing as Momoa’s naked throughout most of filming, I assume Clarke will be naked in at least half of those scenes as well.)

Or you lose the line. Huge loss? No.

(Hm, perhaps it should be boobgate rather than chubgate.)

Anyway, I think that’s really the only major difference. Emilia looks great, physically; I think she embodies all that Daenerys should be. The “skinny waif” part of being Dany is of negligible impact next to the ability to act the part.

And hey, if she can wear a bad wig and convince me she is Daenerys Targaryen, I’m sold.

*wiggate coming soon perhaps, but only after I actually see it in its full glory onscreen.

The more I look at Daenerys’ outfit, the more I wonder why the costume designer picked that burlap looking fabric for the top. You can literally see strings hanging off it. A painted leather vest (or jerkin/anything besides the halter top pictured) and some sandsilk trousers would have been both practical and lovely. Or some horsehide leggings and a medallion belt.

Not a deal breaker if Daenerys is wearing one mediocre outfit, but honestly, I have not been blown away yet by any of the Dothraki costuming we’ve seen thus far. My worry goes beyond this one outfit here, more for what it implies about HBO’s take on Dothraki culture. Do they really think the Dothraki have only very “primitive” clothing, with rough textures, unfinished hems, animal skins, etc.? In the books, yes, Khal Drogo was a marauding warlord who rode horses, but he also owned a manse in Pentos and was quite rich. He owned some nice things and so did Daenerys.

Someone else mentioned the worry that the Dothraki Sea will be changed from grasslands to more of a jungle. I have similar fears which I hope are unfounded. I don’t mind adaptation or necessary changes for television, but I really hope the overall feel of the Dothraki stays similar to that of the books. HBO has done well on most other things though, so I have hope.

Winter Is Coming: Wow, wow, wow! This is awesome stuff! Thanks HBO and EW (but seriously, 2 AM??) Alright, my thoughts on the images…Night’s Watch crew: Looking great. Love JB-W as Sam. I think he’s the perfect size. And Pyp and Jon look great as well.Vale Men-At-Arms: Looks good to me! The mountainous terrain of the Vale is evident here.King Robert: Really good. I’m 100% sold on Addy now. And the direwolf shields look sweet! Hope we get a hi-res version of this one soon as the pommel of Robert’s sword looks very interesting.Cersei: Not the Cersei I had imagined. I also pictured a more fuller haired, sharper-featured Cersei. But Headey is beautiful and she is a fantastic actress, so I’m sure she will be great.Jaime: Amazing. Simple amazing. It’s like Jaime just stepped out of my imagination and onto my computer screen. He looks a lot like Komarck’s version of Jaime, which has always been my favorite.Ned and Pycelle: Looking good. I like the Red Keep, although it looks a little “movie set” here. I suspect that will change once we see it on the TV screen.Jon and Bran: Love it! Bran looks great. Jon’s look, not what I imagined, but I’ve gotten used to it since it was first debuted back in the behind-the-scenes vid. Have to say it’s started to grow on me. Also, this scene must be new as I don’t remember it from the books?Dany: She looks amazing! Chubby? No way. And I don’t mind the costume. Although those hand wraps make her look like she’s about to get into a brawl. Ha!Tyrion and Mord: What a fantastic shot. Great job by Helen Sloan on this one. Tyrion looks great. The hi-res version shows his lion’s head ring, which is awesome. Mord looks good as well.The Eyrie: The set looks great. Tyrion and Catelyn look great. Vardis Egan looks really cool. That plate armor will definitely work for his scene with Bronn. The mountains in the background? A blue screen that they composited into this photo? Or a painted backdrop? Either way, they look great. QuoteReply

The Eyrie backdrop is a real, painted backdrop. I saw it the last time I was there for a fitting. I actually sat in my car and stared at it for ages as it is beautiful. And big!!

Jaime’s armour is the armour I spotted way back at my first costume fitting for the pilot. It looks even better in real life.

And the Heart tree looks incredible. I had my lunch beside it!

These photos look great. It feels like the ball is really starting to roll!

Personally, I’m happy with everything that I’ve seen so far. Although there a lot of stuff I could get nit-picky about, I’m going to wait to see how it actually translates onto the screen before raising hell (or not).

aimlessgun: I like how one person mentions Dany being chubby and then like 20 posts follow defending her against “all the people” calling her chubby
The photos are great, but I do think Dany is definitely the weakest. Not because of any weight issues, just because I don’t think it would be possible to get Dany right without this being an anime :/

No, people like you just have some unrealistic vision of what a real women is supposed to be. Clark is a real woman. That is what real women look like. Anime? Get real. What? Huge eyes? Unrealistically skinny? Un-human looking? I just do not get people like this at all. Good luck with dating real women in real life…..

The poster wasn’t talking about what a real women is supposed to be, nor was he insulting Miss Clarke. He was talking about what Deanerys Targaryen should look like, with GRRM having explicitly described her appearence as a skinny whisp of a girl. Which is a perfectly legitimate concern for a dutiful fan of the book. I do not share it, but you don’t have to be so quick to attack a fellow fan just for expressing it.

Viserys has a great line where he essentially sneers at his sister for being flat-chested. And there’s no one out there that’s going to look at Clarke’s body and go, “Wow, you need boobs.” (It’s possible they’re actually trying to hide her cleavage with that bulky vest.) Whereas Tamzin Merchant? Flat as a board.

I forgot about that one. I think Dany changes pretty fast from being a girl into being a woman in AGOT (also physically) (Does anyone of you hardcore fans now, how many months the first book covers?)

Since she’s a woman for most of the story I’d rather have her actress be a woman (I suppose they can fake the “being a vulnerable girl” thing in the beginning with camera tricks and makeup)

Re: Boobgate. I dont think it would be an issue for Dany to have normal sized breasts and Viserys still drop the flat chested line, especially if the maids in Ilyrio’s manse are all somewhat more buxom. It will make him look like the small minded cruel and manipulative person he is very early, but if they choose to drop it or wrap Dany up for the pre wedding scenes then so be it.

That’s a splendind idea for a shirt! Part of what makes ASoIaF great is the huge number of awesome minor characters. In a way, there are no minor characters at all. I realise that many of them will have to be cut from this TV-adaption, but I hope they keep as many of them in as possible. Sure, we don’t want to dilute the impact of our main guys, but hey, Westeros comes alive through all these wonderfully wonderful (and terrible) people. Since we know they have in fact added a new scene with Syrio in it, I shouldn’t worry to much. In D&D we trust and all that…

I believe the first book and Dany’s storyline covers about a year (a few months in the beginning of the story, and then the length of her pregnancy, 9ish months). Plus one month at the end of the story for what happens after Rhaego’s birth. Someone (politely) correct me if this sounds totally wrong.

There is no Entertainment weekly app for the ipad, no? At least I didn’t find one. I’m just too impatient, I want to see Arya and the other new pictures. :-( I mean, I would pay for this magazine if I could.

I know we’ve had many a conversation on eyebrows on WiC, but I think Cersei’s ad Dany’s really stand out from their hair, sigh. I know, trivial, I will probably be too busy breathing into a paper bag when it premieres to even notice (lol).

Tyrion with a metal norman teardrop shield painted yellow with a red painted rampant horse. Funny they have this and they have the cheesy looking all metal round shields for Stark gaurdsman. I would have prefered something closer to this for the Stark guardsmen.

Sansa and lady with what looks to be lannister guardsmen: Sansa looks great. Her gown is much more vividly light blue. The dogs do look more “like” wolves but still have much more of a thin doglike look with a lot less of the classic wolflike fur features. Still hope to see some post production to the dogs to make them more wolflike. The lannister guardsmen with crimson cloak doesnt look to asian influenced or terrible. It looks like a good mix, but you still can see the influence.

Another shot of Eddard but with Arya and some Stark and Lannister Guardsmen and what I can tell as Ilyn Payne behind Arya with a smug scowl on his face. Arya’s costume looks…well blech. She looks like some peasant girl from fleabottom.

Another shot of Cersei. At kings landing. With a golden bead behind her. With a gold headboard. Very opulent.

So there you go. I bought the mag at 9 am. So If this needs to be taken down. Go ahead Im not sure I’m breaking any rules here.

Tripleplay. I know…
The captions in the magazine are REALLY spoilerish. I’m surprised they kept those in when published. I wonder what HBO’s reason for letting them keep it in, or did it slide by? Who know’s. Maybe its to ramp up that its not a silly questing for a princess, magic slinging, sword swinging, usual cliche high fantasy story. Because they do mention Xena and Hercules in the captions. So they may be trying to avoid the stereotype by adding in some of the deep drama that unfolds?

No, I think no rules have been broken, thank you for the description and the summary. It does seem like the crimson/purple enamel was removed from the Lannister armour design (there’s one guard in the Arya photo as well). I’m happy about it … makes the look distinct, but fitting with the rest, far from screaming Asian/Japanese. Great. Arya looks really scruffy and miserable there :) poor thing. Two Baratheon guards with Sansa as well, as you have added. Tyrion is hiding behind a Bracken shield (thanks, Westeros compendium! :)) The Cersei one gives the same vibe as the short glimpse in the teaser where she’s leaving a room walking past a guard.

Thanks, but we have the magazine. It’s just that posting those would really infringe on copyright, so it’s a no go. We can discuss it in writing, and hope that soon enough those 4 extra ones are put online by HBO.

Yeah, that sucks about the spoilers in the magazine… but as others have mentioned, it’s only the first episode and it may draw viewers in.

Anyway, the fact is that we are the lucky ones. We read the books and experienced the story the way it was meant to be experienced. Any new viewer who hasn’t read the books is essentially spoiling the series for themselves. That’s just the way it is. The nature of this series has changed, now that it’s becoming a TV show.

I was hoping to see a slightly more upscale garb for Eddard during the feast and the meeting of the Kings host. Maybe even a better designed sleeveless doublet.
It looks to be he wears the same outfit during the execution scene during the feast just without the heavy cloak. Just my own quibble.

Would have been cool to see the Stark kids with there pups at the feast.

I keep looking at how awesome Jaime looks. But there is this one issue I have with his shoulder armor. It looks to small and doesn’t fit. It looks more like a elbow cop and the size of one too. All other armored individuals have better shoulder coverage in armor. This one piece on Jaimes Kingsguard armor doesnt make sense.

Dom: What I absolutely love is Sansa’s dress, compared to the roughness of certain costumes around her. Way to make her seem lost in her own dreamland!

I took a third much longer look at her dress. Sansa’s dress looks a little baggy around the chest and torso…rush job tailoring? You would think it would be a little tighter if the dress is fastened or tightened in the back…
It is still quite pretty.

Sorry, I do garb making for Ren fest and SCA…so its something i passionately look at.

OMG you guys — this week’s EW just landed on my desk!! The shots look amazing!
But, once I calmed down, I did have a few reactions to the costumes. I’m bugged by the fringe-of-knots around the collar of Sansa and and Arya’s dresses. It’s OK on Sansa but looks really weird on Arya’s dress. Any thoughts on why the Kingsguard armor isn’t white? Maybe pure white would have looked bad on screen. Lena Headey does look good as a blonde; I had been a bit worried about that. Hey HBO, give us more pics!

Juliewash: OMG you guys — this week’s EW just landed on my desk!! The shots look amazing!
But, once I calmed down, I did have a few reactions to the costumes. I’m bugged by the fringe-of-knots around the collar of Sansa and and Arya’s dresses. It’s OK on Sansa but looks really weird on Arya’s dress. Any thoughts on why the Kingsguard armor isn’t white? Maybe pure white would have looked bad on screen. Lena Headey does look good as a blonde; I had been a bit worried about that. Hey HBO, give us more pics!

I had not noticed the collar fringe of knots. Does look really odd and well Ive never seen it done in period clothing. But oh well…thrown together it is then.
HBO tried the white armor but it didn’t look good on screen so they down played it a lot to just white enameled scroll work on the armor. I think they should have added white clothing with the armor they used and some more white scrollwork on the armor.

Shots look good. The colors are beautiful and the costumes too, just amazing!! I don’t like Jon’s mustache but I’ll get used to it and most of the changes. But Catelyn is a worry, she looks too much like Lysa! The character will need some help breaking out of the nagging mum role.

I managed to get at look at the newer pictures in the magazine, and amazing stuff as usual. Seeing Ilyn payne in the background is great (assuming thats him and not just some extra). Also the whole samurai lannister thing can now be debunked and tossed in the bin as far as I’m concerned, they look great though some sort of lannister sigil would’ve of been nice to see. Also on that note I’m especially happy to see the stag sigil on the Baratheon guards in the Sansa picture.

Anyone else notice with the larger pic of Jon and Bran in the EW mag. That Jon doesnt just have a stache but a young adult mans beard, short and scruffy…

I wonder if this was to further differentiate him from Robb. Jon does have his dark brown to black hair. I wonder why Arya and Eddard dont have that dark brown hair too. Which is not evident in the photo’s. As those two children look the most like classic Stark look like Ned.

Also take notice that HBO made the Lannister to Stark guardsmen different in looks. Lannisters have short cut hair with clean shaven faces. Where Stark guardsmen have beards and long hair. Easy to differentiate.

AbstractPlain: I managed to get at look at the newer pictures in the magazine, and amazing stuff as usual.Seeing Ilyn payne in the background is great (assuming thats him and not just some extra). Also the whole samurai lannister thing can now be debunked and tossed in the bin as far as I’m concerned, they look great though some sort of lannister sigil would’ve of been nice to see. Also on that note I’m especially happy to see the stag sigil on the Baratheon guards in the Sansa picture.

It is Ilyn. :D
Note that you see house heraldry on guardsmen with padded armor, patches sewn on. With the Lannister men no. But it would have been nice to see a gold or even red lion scrolled on their armor. Not to big of a deal. I wonder why the Lannister men wear more black then red cloth.

As far as the samurai armor. That has been debunked. We havent seen the helmets though.

Sairin: Squeeeeee!
I know we’ve had many a conversation on eyebrows on WiC, but I think Cersei’s ad Dany’s really stand out from their hair, sigh. I know, trivial, I will probably be too busy breathing into a paper bag when it premieres to even notice (lol).

A friend an I were talking about this today. We have come to the conclusion that the dark eyebrows are NOT a result of incompetent make-up people.

We know a couple of people that are natural blonds (for the record one guy and one girl) Both of them of course have blond eyebrows. We’ve come to think that a film quality camera would kind of make their features “wash out” abit. Light skin with blond hair and eyebrows would just kind of blend in with one another.

But if they had dark eyebrows then peoples attention would be naturally drawn to the eyes. Which is the reason I think the make-up people didn’t bother to lighten Lenas or
Emilias eyebrows. They wanted the viewers attention to naturally be drawn to the eyes.

That really sums it up for me. I have such a raging man-crush on Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime in that picture. God, he’s just magnificent.

Since the day it was announced that Peter Dinklage was cast as Tyrion, that’s been my number one most eagerly anticipated aspect of the show, but he’s been getting some competition lately. Mainly from Jaime and Arya.

In truth, I’m a bit lukewarm about the photo of Jaime. Maybe it’s the fact that NCW’s hair is a bit too short, maybe it’s the lack of white or gold armour… he looks a bit too modern to me. A bit too much like… Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. I don’t quite feel that I’m actually looking at Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer.

But… aren’t there actors and actress with fair hair AND eyebrows? I never got the impression that they are less capable of expressing emotions than brunets when it comes to acting because of their eyebrow color. It would have been much better had they dyed Headey’s eyebrows to match her hair. It doesn’t even have to be blond, light brown would be just ok without risk of making it disappearing in her skin. Seems like they did dye Dinkklage’s eyebrows and it looks just perfect, I don’t understand why not Headey. For now her eyebrows scream ‘I’m wearing a wig’.